Tag Archives: Cat

Exactly one week from now, I will be celebrating my sixth year in digital SLR photography. It was on February 4, 2010 when I received my very first DSLR – a new Nikon D3000 as a birthday present from my husband and my daughter. It wasn’t a surprise. I knew I was going to get it because I requested for it. I had been anxiously waiting for it in the mail.

I owe my introduction to the wonderful world of photography from my brother Alex. He used to have a SLR camera and shot with it occasionally. During Christmas break of 2014, he brought his new Nikon D3000 camera with him when he came to visit. I was so curious and kept asking him questions so he let me borrow it. I remember my very first shot was not good at all. I didn’t know how to make the camera work – I didn’t even know the proper way to hold it. I didn’t know what all the buttons and dials were for and what the numbers meant. I didn’t even know how to focus properly even though it was set on auto focus 🙂 But as I kept firing the shutter, I got more and more curious. I asked my brother if he will give me his new camera, but my pleading didn’t work.

Two years ago today, we decided to bring into our home a skinny cat that was living in our garage for two months. We weren’t planning on adopting another pet at that time but this cat had parasites and we thought he really needed to be seen by a vet. So after a thorough exam, complete vaccination and deworming, we brought him in. He was very friendly and playful. Wherever he came from before, he must not have liked it there. He was declawed but left outside to live. I don’t approve of declawing cats, it’s just not right.

Nacho has grown a lot. He’s healthy and handsome. He’s always fun to play with and knows how to entertain himself. He is an intelligent cat. He loves being brushed. He loves to talk – actually he’s noisy in the morning. He has very fast reflexes I guess like every other cat.

I’m so glad we adopted him. Every animal deserves to have a loving family. If you haven’t adopted a pet and you are thinking of it, look first in the adoption centers. There are so many well deserving pets waiting to be a part of someone’s family. Make a difference in someone’s life today.

Hi I’m Snow Everest. Yesterday was my birthday. I’m 10 now! Six years ago, I almost died of a serious illness. I had two major surgeries and spent a whole month at the hospital. My weight plummeted from 12lbs to 5.3lbs, so you can just imagine how frail I was.

The Lord gave me another chance to live and so everyday is a special day for me. I thank God for giving me yet another year to live.

I am a healthy boy and I LOVE LIFE!

Yesterday, my mom followed me around most of the day to document the things I did to celebrate my birthday.

In the morning, after I had some drink from my mom’s hand, I waited to see if I can go out but Mom said it’s still muddy because of the rain a day ago so she didn’t let me out to the backyard.

Mom brushed my fur and cleaned my eyes to prepare me for picture taking. She said she wanted me to look handsome in my pictures.

Here I was just relaxing, having a good morning.

I wanted to see again if I could go out, so I asked Mom to come follow me and check outside.

I immediately went to my recent favorite spot where Dad removed the grass. There was a puddle of water from rain. I drank some water and it tasted so fresh.

Next I headed for the hose cart. I love the smell of rubber. Don’t ask me why, I just do. I also love the feel of rubber on my fur.

After awhile, I got hungry, so I decided to go back in. Here I was waiting for Mom to notice me by the door. Sometimes, if no one is there to see me, I knock on the door, yes I know how.

First I ate the dry food, then the wet food. I usually do it in this order.

After eating, I groomed myself then took a nap.

I moved to the sofa to take more nap…

And more….

And more…

I woke up and groomed myself again….

And napped more…

And more….

You get the idea? This is my favorite thing to do. I never get tired of it.

Later, I followed Mom outside. The breeze was nice so I decided I could use a little more nap since I didn’t get enough yet. I love these chairs, I sleep here a lot on nice days.

I decided then to cool off on the tile inside. I love sitting in corners of any room.

I went back outside. While I was contemplating whether to get more nap or not, Mom asked me to go to the grass so she can take more photos of me.

Yup I was still sleepy.

The sun was already setting and my birthday was almost done. I had a great relaxing day.

Thanks for sharing this special day with me.

– Everest

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward to the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.Og Mandino

Wow, it seems like a long time since I last updated my blog. My computer was under repair for two long weeks so I didn’t have access to the photos that I want to use for this post. I really should have been backing up on the cloud.

This week’s theme is “Low On The Ground”, so I decided to give some tips on taking pet photos. I am a proud pet mom of one dog and three cats.

When taking photos of pets, you can take it in different perspectives but my favorite is when I get down really low on the ground. I love it when they are looking at you eye to eye at their level. Here are some examples.

When I photograph my pets in the backyard, I prefer to use a zoom lens, usually 200mm. I usually am either laying down on the ground waiting for some action to happen. With a zoom lens, I have plenty of time to take shots before my pets get really close to me as they love to be right in front of the lens. Also, I get a really nice bokeh or blurred background.

Inside the house, I oftentimes use a 35mm f/1.8 lens because I can get in more light. If you have a pet who is shy or maybe scared of big long lenses, a fast prime would probably be your best bet. You can get your shots quickly before your pet runs away.

Don’t be afraid to get dirty – get low on the ground!

How about you? What’s your favorite perspective when you are photographing pets?

Last week, I did not post anything as I was enjoying the holidays and taking a break. We all need to relax sometimes. I did not take out my DSLR to take photos (I must not be feeling well). BUT even though I wasn’t really planning on taking photos, these photos that I am sharing this week had to be taken. I will be so mad at myself if I didn’t take these photos. So even if these were just taken from a smart phone, I was able to capture the story.

So here goes….
For a few years now, around the Christmas and New Year holiday, I always make the “World’s Best Lasagna”, a recipe I got from AllRecipes.com This year, on New Year’s eve, I made the sauce for the lasagna. I made it ahead of time so that I will just assemble it the next day. Snow Everest, our Exotic Shorthair cat, waited by the stove the whole time I was cooking. He’s a vocal cat so you can just imagine that he was talking to me about it, while he was waiting.

The following morning, New Year’s day, I cooked the pasta and assembled the sauce, pasta and cheeses. I noticed that he’s standing by the stove again… waiting. He does not usually stand by the stove when I cook other meals. Not even spaghetti. And as I stand there wondering, I remembered that he did the same thing last year when I made lasagna. I didn’t give him any of it as I am not sure it would be good for him. I gave him some ricotta cheese instead. He licked my cheese-filled finger with excitement. Then went to sleep. He looked contented.

To conclude, Garfield is not the only cat who loves lasagna. But not all “Garfield” breed cats fall for it, our other Exotic shorthair cat Sweet Cherry did not.